It’s very quickly coming up to the one-year anniversary of the release of Battlefield 2042, and during that time, we’ve seen some significant and greatly needed improvements, as well as two seasons that introduced some new weapons, vehicles, maps, and even specialists. With all of that in mind, what better way to celebrate than by introducing Season 3: Escalation. MKAU was invited to take part in the hands-off preview, hosted by Tom Straatman from the Battlefield 2042 Community Team, he first introduces Kit Eklof, the Multiplayer Map Producer, to tell us how the celebrations will start.

Kit announced that they want to celebrate with more players than ever before, and as such, Battlefield 2042 will soon be available as part of Game Pass Ultimate and the EA Play Subscriptions. Not only that, but all major consoles will have times during December when players can play for free, even without a subscription. Xbox players can play between the 1st and 4th of December, which unfortunately is the shortest time frame, PC players have between the 1st and the 5th of December, and PlayStation users will have the longest free play event, running between the 16th and the 26th of December. With 15+ maps, 70+ weapons, 40+ vehicles, and 13 Specialists to test out, they’re excited to see what new community members think of the season.

DICE have spent the last 12 months listening to player feedback, and with Season 3: Escalation, players can expect more firepower and tactical options heavily focusing on ground warfare, significantly upping the amount of damage you and your squad can unleash on your opponents. Players will also be able to duke it out over the new map, Spearhead. Based in the Swedish wilderness, it’s the first map based in Sweden, and the team at DICE are especially excited about this. Similar in size to Stranded, it features two central buildings; automated Nordvik Manufacturing facilities, surrounded by rock formations for increased cover, and spectacular terrain for intense firefights and high-speed aerial combat.

To help traverse the new terrain, the new EMKV90-TOR Main Battle Tank has been introduced. This cutting-edge tank features two useable modes, with the first being focused on mobility and the ability to swiftly redeploy while laying down fire with the high-tech railgun mounted on the turret. The second mode is siege mode, though I’m not sure this is as awesome as it sounds. The tank slows to a crawl, the suspension almost dropping the underside flat on the floor for more stability while the railgun fires faster and more accurately.

Ali Kaporchali, the Class and gadget Producer was next in line and eager to tell us about his teams’ contributions. Three new firearms join the roster, each with their own specialisations:

• The Rorsh K-4 Railgun uses cutting-edge technology to electromagnetically launch projectiles at insane velocities. With multiple firing modes, it’ll prove devastating to anyone downrange if the user can master the battery output.
• The NVK-S22 is a dual-barrel semi-automatic smart shotgun, offering a variety of tactical options that spell certain destruction in a small package.
• The NVK-P126 Bullpup pistol features a custom-built long barrel, offering greater range and extra stability; the perfect sidearm.

There is also a brand new throwable item; the trusty throwing knife, able to take down enemies quickly and quietly. Players will also have access to two new Vault weapons, the XM8 LMG and the A-91 bullpup rifle, both of which can be unlocked by completing assignments, with more to come as the season progresses. It wouldn’t be a season without unlockable cosmetics, and Season 3: Escalation gives players plenty of extras to unlock, such as skins for existing specialists, weapons and vehicles, and even more for Premium Tier Battle Passes.

Egyptian-born Rasheed Zain takes the New Specialist title, featuring the fastest health generation in the game, which is further bolstered by taking out an enemy. His XM370A semi-automatic airburst rifle will make this significantly easier as it blasts apart cover, forcing enemies to abandon their positions and into the line of fire.

The voice of Adam Freeman, the Senior Community Lead, announced the upcoming quality of life changes, which include the complete rework of two maps, with the rebuild of Manifest to be released early in the season. Once again listening to the community, flags are brought closer together to improve the flow of battle, with HQ flags being brought closer to the front lines so that you can get right in on the action. Existing cover has been updated to give a more war-torn feeling, but also helps players to reach their objective by providing better cover. Several buildings have been reworked, with the most notable being on the hill.

The radar building has been completely destroyed, and its burning husk gives players a focal point when attacking or defending the objective. In a similar way, the docks now have a reduced number of cranes, increasing the value of existing ones for players to hold the high ground, but also allowing players to more easily focus on the objective. There have also been some lighting and visibility improvements across the whole map, as well as new paths between the flags, and a whole new layout for Rush.

The second map to get some love is Breakaway. Coming later in the season, it’s looking to be their biggest overhaul yet, seeing a number of favourite locations being moved around. The Oil Rig is now a lot closer to the action, soon to be located at the foot of the glacier, with new ways to assault the rig and new paths on the deck, it’s sure to see more action. Town Flags have also been moved around to create better objectives, complete with new cover and ruined vehicles, but navigation has been cleaned up to help create a better flow in combat.

The Glacier itself has been simplified, once again allowing for cleaner combat experiences with new paths and two new flags to capture, completely with a downed Condor aircraft tucked away in an ice cave, and just like Manifest, the whole map has been overhauled with new ice and snow shaders, giving a more realistic appearance.

Ali returns to sum up the final part of our 15-minute presentation and discusses the new gameplay reworks. Based on community feedback and a whole lot of internal testing, the new Class Structure pushes Battlefield 2042 back to the classic Battlefield experience, with each class getting specific equipment and class gadgets. Each class will have its own weapon proficiencies, offering benefits for choosing the class’ preferred weapon, such as the Recon class being able to hold their breath to steady their sights when using a sniper rifle. This is intended to be the start of class evolution, with more changes coming for other specialists, balancing changes, and new content for greater choice in class gadgets.

Kicking off on the 23rd of November, all gameplay features of Battlefield 2042 Season 3: Escalation will be available to all Battle Pass holders, no matter what tier you have, though they will need to be unlocked through gameplay, just as with previous seasons. Premium Tiers will also have access to more skins for specialists, weapons, and vehicles, plus the chance to unlock BFC, additional player cards and weapons charms, and even a new melee weapon. December will be a great time for players to try out Battlefield 2042, with several days of free-play for major consoles, so if you’ve been on the fence about the game, you’ll have a chance to test it out soon enough.

Written by: Mathew Lindner